Tuesday, Dec. 08, 2009

Facebook: Read the Book, See the Movie

July 2009 saw the release of The Accidental Billionaires, Ben Mezrich's book about the founding of Facebook. The author of Bringing Down the House, which was about card-counting MIT students who took Vegas for millions, Mezrich has come under criticism in the past for his use of fiction techniques in books billed as true stories. But this time, Mezrich didn't even pretend to tell the truth. In fact, he never even spoke to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, who declined to participate in the project. Mezrich's literary failings didn't stop Hollywood from clambering for the movie rights. Coming soon: Facebook, the movie, reportedly featuring Justin Timberlake as the founder of Napster.